


a beauty mark written on my skin, close to my heart

by glownary



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: (kind of?), Alternate Universe - No Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Character Study, Developing Relationship, F/F, First Dates, Fluff, Introspection, Makeup, POV Shirogane Tsumugi, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26230564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glownary/pseuds/glownary
Summary: Tsumugi prepares for her first date with Kaede.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Shirogane Tsumugi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 28





	a beauty mark written on my skin, close to my heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Alerane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alerane/gifts).



> this is my first time seriously writing Tsumugi POV & i really hope you like it Cael 👀💖

Tsumugi didn't hate the way she looked.

Really, she didn't—because that would imply she felt ugly, which simply wasn't true. She turned her head a bit to the left, then to the right, studying her own features carefully in the mirror. There was no way around it; she was utterly, painfully average.

Which begged the question: why would someone as beautiful as Kaede ask her out?

She sighed, grabbing a makeup brush with one hand and opening up a palette with the other. There was no point in stressing over the reasoning. Kaede had asked her on a date, and she intended to look presentable for it.

Applying foundation, as she had many times before, allowed her to fall into routine; she realized suddenly that she had covered up her eyebrows out of habit. This was the point in which she would normally make very specific makeup choices in order to perfectly replicate the appearance of a character—peachy lips for Tsukino Usagi, thick brows for Kiryuin Satsuki, soft blush for Kaname Madoka; each choice tailored for that particular cosplay. Tsumugi's plain face was the perfect canvas for transforming into someone else.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd put on makeup just to look like… herself.

At first she tried to pick a character and replicate their style. Kaede would like Miku's cheery attitude and preppy style, she thought. The liquid liner traced across her upper eyelids, the shape soft and round, giving her the effect of bigger, rounder eyes as well. She could picture the next steps in her head, how easily she could follow her usual makeup routine for Miku. It wouldn't be a true cosplay without a wig or outfit to match, but surely she would look better that way…? Or maybe, she thought, she could combine aspects of different characters—become something new entirely. Surely Kaede would love Jolyne's confidence and bold attitude? Her hand stilled with green lipstick halfway applied across her bottom lip as she watched the stranger in the mirror take form.

...No. Kaede wanted to go on a date with her—not with Jolyne, or Miku, or any other character, but with Tsumugi herself. The least she could do was show up as herself.

As she cleaned the eyeliner and lipstick off of her skin and wiped the foundation from her eyebrows, Tsumugi's eyes flit back and forth over her makeup collection. After a bit of consideration, she picked out a copper-toned eyeshadow in order to make her blue-green eyes pop. She decided to keep the rest of her look relatively neutral, with a dusty blush and a light pink lipstick. Her practiced hands carefully applied winged eyeliner and mascara. Deciding against wearing falsies, she found that her look was complete much quicker than she was used to. 

She stared at herself in the mirror and Shirogane Tsumugi stared back. A Tsumugi with well-applied makeup, perhaps, but Tsumugi nonetheless.

The familiar allure of total transformation was missing and she felt hollow in its absence. Once again she turned her head a bit to the left, then to the right, confirming what she already knew; she was truly, unbearably average.

With a disappointed sigh, she moved to grab her glasses off the counter. As she unfolded them she wondered if she should wear contacts instead, but quickly scrapped the idea because all of her contacts were colored circle lenses. Changing her eye color would defeat the purpose of both her choice in eyeshadow and her attempts to stray from her cosplay routine.

Tsumugi pushed her glasses up onto the bridge of her nose. It felt as though they sealed her fate, framing her plain features for all to see. 

Nothing left to do, she pulled on a jacket and left her apartment. The train ride was uneventful and she could feel her anxiety grow with each passing minute. What would Kaede think? She had seen Tsumugi cosplay before—was she expecting her to look as good as she does when she's made up to look like various attractive fictional characters?

Before she had much time to mentally prepare, she arrived at her stop and made the rest of the way to her destination on foot. At the end of the block, standing in front of the café, was Kaede.

Her outfit was simple but cute; a pastel pink sweater with music notes decorating the trim paired with purple slacks and tan heeled boots. Her hair was pulled into a neat ponytail and her own face was bare save for some shiny lip gloss.

But it was her expression upon spotting Tsumugi—the light that she radiated—that got Tsumugi's pulse racing.

She looked—

"—Beautiful," Kaede said. 

Tsumugi blinked, eyes wide. "Huh?"

Seemingly amused by the way Tsumugi had zoned out, Kaede smiled warmly and took Tsumugi's hand into her own. "I said you look beautiful," she repeated.

"O—oh." Face flushed, Tsumugi's mouth suddenly felt dry before she realized she hadn't returned the compliment aloud—"Ah, so do you!" 

Kaede giggled and Tsumugi's heart fluttered in response. "I can't wait to show you this place, you're going to love it." Kaede gently tugged Tsumugi towards the café as she spoke. "They have desserts themed after different magical girls! Isn't that cute?"

The hollow feeling from earlier was gone completely, replaced by the pounding of her heart in her chest. Tsumugi allowed herself to be pulled into the café, and her eyes lit up at the sight of the menu. Some of the items on the list had been inspired by her favorite characters.

Kaede had thought of her when choosing where to go.

Tsumugi loved the café, and the food tasted as good as it looked—but not as good as Kaede's strawberry lip gloss. 

Kaede thought that she was beautiful.

And in Kaede's presence, Tsumugi felt beautiful.

**Author's Note:**

> title is a lyric from the song "beauty mark" by charlotte gainsbourg


End file.
